How Bangladesh’s China-Pak outreach meets India’s Siliguri counter-strategy, Shishir Gupta explains

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed first visit to India has been postponed amid an increasingly strained relationship with New Delhi. Reports indicate the two sides had been exploring an August 23–24 visit, but unresolved issues—including Bangladesh’s demand for the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—have left the trip in limbo, even as back-channel contact continues. In this episode of The Hindustan Times Point Blank, Shishir Gupta frames the crisis through an Indian strategic lens: concern over Bangladesh’s domestic Islamist pressure, Rahman’s outreach to China, reported U.S. influence, and comments by junior Bangladeshi figures about potential interest in joining an expanded Saudi Arabia–Türkiye–Pakistan defence alignment.